Anthropological Institute & Museum

Research Interests

I am broadly interested in evolutionary biology, in particular in the underlying molecular mechanisms. My PhD research project aims to investigate the genetic basis of adaptive evolution in orangutans (Pongo spp.). Among great apes, orangutans represent a unique model to study the genetic basis of adaptive evolution between and within species, as they show remarkable systematic geographic variation in traits such as brain size, fat storage ability, interbirth-intervals, male developmental arrest and social organization. The observed variation in orangutan brain size is particularly interesting, as it represents the only published case of significant differences in brain size found within any great ape species. I will pay special attention to this feature since the historical expansion of brain size is seen as a hallmark of the hominin lineage, but remains poorly understood at its underlying genetic mechanisms. In the initial phase of the project, we intend to establish a dense single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) map using massively parallel sequencing. Integrating demographic modeling into tests for selection will enable us to disentangle natural selection from non-selective processes such as genetic drift. In addition, through comparative analyses with human and chimpanzee genomes, we will be able to identify and reevaluate candidate genes for selection. This study will further our understanding of the evolution of great apes, thus ultimately provide new insights into human evolution, but also shed light on how molecular evolution relates to local adaptation in natural populations in general.

So far, I have mainly been developing and evaluating male-specific genetic markers in orangutans and bottlenose dolphins. Studying the population genetics of the Y chromosome is the most direct and often the only way to gain genetic information on male-specific behavior, ecology and contemporary evolutionary processes. In spite of widespread interest in using the Y, this approach is hampered in most natural populations by the lack of Y chromosome markers. Link